The government today said it would look into the refusal by Swiss banks to share details about money parked by Indians.
The government today said it would look into the refusal by Swiss banks to share details about money parked by Indians but faced opposition charges of not "properly" pursuing efforts to unearth the illegal money stashed in Switzerland.
The BJP also wanted the UPA government to mount diplomatic pressure on Switzerland to get the details while the Congress said the government was doing all it can under its jurisdiction to get the black money out as it was an issue of public interest and concerned the common man.
Finance minister Pranab Mukherjee said he has taken note of media reports about reservations Swiss banks have in sharing client details with India and that he would look into the matter.
"I have read in the newspapers", Mukherjee told reporters, adding he will look into it.
BJP president Rajnath Singh said the government should build up diplomatic pressure on Switzerland so that the black money can be "exposed."
The CPI(M) said the government was responsible for getting details of Indians who have stashed away illegal money there.
"When the US government can get the list of persons (who have illegally stashed money in Swiss banks), why can't the Indian government...It is the responsibility of the government. How can there be double standards," CPI(M) Politburo member Brinda Karat said.
JD(U) attacked UPA government accusing it of not "properly" pursuing the matter with Swiss authorites and "not actually wanting to do it".
"America is powerful and so it got its work done (got information about account of clients) but India does not actually want to do it at all... It could have been done had we put pressure on the Swiss authorities properly," JD (U) president Sharad Yadav said.
Congress spokesman Abhishek Singhvi said "It is a matter concerning the government and it is seized of the matter. It is an issue of public interest and concerns the aam aadmi (common man). Government is doing all it can under its jurisdiction."
"Swiss law and even OECD's Model Tax Convention do not permit fishing expeditions, in other words, the indiscriminate trawling through bank accounts in the hope of finding something interesting," Swiss Bankers Association(SBA) Head of International Communications James Nason had said.
"This means that India cannot simply throw its telephone book at Switzerland and ask if any of these people have a bank account here," he said.
Rajnath Singh maintained that if the American government could get the names so could we. Germany and Ireland have also succeeded in getting names of account holders from their country, he said.
Pranab Mukherjee had recently informed Parliament that the government was committed to unearthing black money within and outside the country.
"Swiss authorities, I am told, have agreed for negotiations (on the issue)... We have already taken it (the issue of black money) not only with Swiss authorities but other nations as well," Mukherjee had said.
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